Mountain farmers adapt to life beyond apples

The importance of apple cultivation is decreasing in the mountain villages of Uttarakhand (Photo by Sandeep Chetan)

As impacts of climate change and unwise human interventions push traditional farmers in Uttarakhand to the wall, they are adapting by embracing new crops and livelihoods

Tamil farmers innovate to overcome fodder shortage

Gnanasekaran finds mesquite pod powder a good cost effective cattle feed that also helps increase milk yield (Photo courtesy Gnanasekaran)

Faced with a shortage of cattle feed, farmers in several districts of Tamil Nadu have adopted offbeat solutions that not only bring feeding costs down but also increase the yields of milk

Manipur villagers initiate successful economic development

The weaving unit of Langei project in Nongpok Sanjenbam village not only provides employment to the women but also sustains traditional weaving (Photo by Ninglun Hanghal)

Residents of Nongpok Sanjenbam, an underdeveloped Manipuri village, have come together to bring about economic and social transformation, enjoying the benefits in the process

Stress-tolerant rice aids Uttar Pradesh farmers

Sohabati Devi looks at her BINA rice crop that recovered from a devastating flood and is ready for harvest (Photo by IRRI India)

With her crop surviving nearly two weeks of submergence and recovering from an intense flood, Sohabati Devi of Maharajganj has every reason to smile and be proud of her decision to plant a stress-tolerant rice variety

Educated Tamil youth boost growth with hi-tech farming

Educated youth such as Srinivasan and Sudeesh have taken up hi-tech farming, cultivating crops under controlled conditions using Israeli technology (Photo by George Rajashekaran)

Returning to their roots, educated youth in Tamil Nadu have boosted agricultural production manifold by modernizing their ancestral land, and by using Israeli farming technology

Poshan sakhis transform reproductive health in Odisha

A poshan sakhi explains the importance of women, especially expectant and lactating mothers, eating nutritious food (Photo by Rakhi Ghosh)

Women trained as poshan sakhis, or nutrition friends, advice and help rural women, particularly expectant and lactating mothers, to eat nutritious food and overcome anemia and underweight deliveries

Piped water allows rural women to bathe in private

An enclosed bathing space and toilet, while ensuring better hygiene for the women, also gives them time for other activities (Photo by Gram Vikas)

In Odisha, where a high number of rural households lack enclosed bathing spaces, construction of bathrooms and piped water supply help women avoid bathing in the open

Chhattisgarh tribes taste success raising honeybees

A tribal woman in Dantewada district, dependent on forest produce and rain-fed agriculture, has enhanced her income by raising honeybees (Photo by Pragati Prayas Samajik Sewa Sanstha)

Living a marginalized life in the mining region of Dantewada, local tribes dependent on forest produce, rain-fed agriculture and wild honey have successfully taken to modern apiculture

Money & manhood: changing gender roles in rural homes

It is not unusual to find groups of unemployed men in villages across India (Photo by Michael Foley)

In times of increasing agrarian stress and uncertain incomes, women in villages are becoming as much providers of families as men, but the vice grip of patriarchy refuses to slacken

Hilsa fishers driven to the edge by overfishing

Fishermen getting ready to fish hilsa using their country boats, even as the declining fish population affects their livelihood (Photo by Dhruba Das Gupta)

The hilsa fishermen of Howrah district in West Bengal are struggling against declining catch, stiff competition from mechanized trawlers and non-traditional fishermen entering the lucrative occupation

Coastal farmers tackle salinity with innovative measures

Organically grown traditional paddy and embankment crop turmeric help Muthukrishnan and Prem Anand sustain agriculture in saline land (Photo by Kevin Samuel)

Farmers in coastal Tamil Nadu are countering salinity caused by droughts and groundwater depletion through rainwater harvesting and by reviving traditional organic farming practices

Marathwada farmers harvest water in streams, reap rich yields

Groundwater recharge has improved availability of potable water in villages in the Marathwada region (Photo by Shashank Deora)

Farmers in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra that is prone to droughts have made agriculture remunerative by harvesting rainwater in pond-like pockets in streams, leading to groundwater recharge

Weavers of Negamam face social, economic challenges

Many young people are moving away from their traditional occupation of weaving cotton sarees on handlooms (Photo by Sharada Balasubramanian)

The traditional handloom weavers of the famous Negamam cotton sarees in Tamil Nadu are dwindling in number as they battle changing social norms and economic challenges from cheaper products

Fluorosis extracts a toll in rural West Bengal

Snehasish already shows symptoms of fluorosis at the age of eight, as groundwater is the only source of drinking water for the village (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)

Groundwater contaminated with fluoride is affecting the health of people in villages, especially the elderly and children, even as awareness on fluorosis is low in rural areas and the government remains apathetic

Blending tribal people into India’s mainstream

India is still grappling with issues of preserving tribal identities and integrating them with the mainstream at the same time (Photo by Rajesh Pamnani)

Efforts to meet the aspirations of India’s tribal population would essentially mean their greater integration with the national mainstream, which would also reduce their drive for sub-cultural identity

Lambani embroidery makes a fashion statement

Lambani women such as Somi Bai, who prefer to wear their traditional phetiya-kanchali dress, are happy to keep their embroidery tradition alive (Photo by Amoolya Rajappa)

Modern clothing embellished with kasuthi kelsa (embroidery work) that is unique to the Lambani tribal community in Karnataka has helped local women keep the traditional craft alive and kicking

Naga clans script success in conserving biodiversity

Khonoma village in Kohima district of Nagaland earned the Green Village title from the government for its community-based conservation (Photo by Ninglun Hanghal)

Community-managed conservation practiced for over two decades by the Angami Naga tribe of Khonoma village near the state capital of Kohima has improved biodiversity and forest resources

Agripreneurs can revive smallholder agriculture

Training local women to become agripreneurs pay rich dividends to smallholder farmers (Photo by C. Zanzanaini)

Encouraging community service providers to function as agripreneurs is an effective and proven way to improve the lives of smallholder farmers by increasing agricultural productivity

Malabar women raise their voice against triple talaq

Life is suddenly thrown out of gear for women, more so for those with children, divorced through triple talaq declaration (Photo by Chithra Ajith)

Women at the receiving end of triple talaq divorce pronouncements in the Malabar region of Kerala have stood up to their rights but have faced dire consequences. Their hopes are now pinned on the new law